:''See also Stanisław Albrecht Radziwiłł.'' Stanisław "the Pious" Radziwiłł ( lt, Stanislovas Radvila II) (12 May 1559 – 19 March 1599) was a sixth generation Radziwill family noble ( szlachcic) of the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...

in the

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...

.
Odrowaz-Sypniewska He was a Elder of Samogitia (1595 until his death in 1599), a first

ordynat In English common law, fee tail or entail is a form of trust established by deed or settlement which restricts the sale or inheritance of an estate in real property and prevents the property from being sold, devised by will, or otherwise alien ...

of Olyka, and the Great Lithuanian Marshal (from 1592 until his death). He was the son of Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł and Elżbieta Szydłowiecka. Raised as a

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

, he converted to Roman Catholicism and was known as a very pious person, which gained him the nickname ''Pobożny'' (Pious). He was also known for his scholarly interests - he collected books and could read in many languages. He avoided politics, but fought in the wars with Muscovy under the Polish king

Stefan Batory Stefan may refer to: * Stefan (given name) * Stefan (surname) * Ștefan, a Romanian given name and a surname * Štefan, a Slavic given name and surname * Stefan (footballer) (born 1988), Brazilian footballer * Stefan Heym, pseudonym of German writ ...

. He built most of the Olyka Castle. Stanislaw was a thoroughly educated person and knew several foreign languages. He translated from Greek into Polish part of the work of the Patriarch of Constantinople Gennadius Scholarius, containing commentaries on the five articles of the Florentine Union, which was published in 1586. He was the author of a work on the main truths of the faith entitled ''Oręże duchowne prawowitego rycerza chrześcijańskiego (''), published in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

in 1591. Immediately after becoming the Elder of Samogitia, he wrote to his brother Mikołaj Krzysztof Radzwiłł: "While learning various languages, I forgot Lithuanian, and now I see, I have to go to school again, because that language, as I see, God willing, will be needed." This was because the Lithuanian language remained dominant in Samogitia, unlike in certain other areas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

References

Sources

* * * Margaret Odrowaz-Sypniewska, ''The Radziwill Dynasty: From Pagan Times to the 1960s - Part One'', http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/radziwill.html Secular senators of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Ruthenian nobility of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Polish Roman Catholics Converts to Roman Catholicism from Calvinism Stanislaw Pious 1559 births 1599 deaths Military personnel from Vilnius Grand Marshals of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania {{Poland-noble-stub